Don't Forget
by jlm8808
Summary: 11 year old Bella and her 12 year old brother Emmett move to Florida with their mom, leaving behind everyone in Forks. Before they leave, Edward asks Bella one thing, "Please, don't forget me." What happens when they return 6 years later? AH
1. Chapter 1

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Flight 127 from Jacksonville, Florida, will be landing in the next 30 minutes. Please put your seats in the upright position and make sure your seatbelts are buckled. Thank you."

This was it. My life was officially ending. I hadn't been to Forks, Washington, since I was 11 years old. That was when my brother Emmett and I were taken by our mother to live with her and her new husband Phil in Jacksonville, Florida. I mean, sure, we had seen our father a few times since we moved; he usually took a 2 week vacation from work to take a vacation with us in California each summer. Emmett was excited enough, but we were leaving all of our friends behind and everything we had known for the past 6 years. On the other hand, we were finally going home. _Finally._ I would finally be able to see the Cullens…Carlisle, Esme, Alice, and…Edward. They didn't know yet that we were coming home; we had asked Charlie to keep it quiet since we wanted to surprise our old neighbors and everything. That's right; the Cullens had been our neighbors for forever. They lived in the humongous house behind our own, however small, house. Edward had been my best friend, while Emmett's best friend was one of our other neighbors- Jasper Hale. Jasper and his twin sister Rosalie lived to the right of us and had also been as big a part of our lives as the Cullens were.

All six of us had been practically inseparable. We carpooled together to school, we did sports together, and we even spent the weekends together. We were all practically family. So, Emmett's and my moving had a huge impact on our friends and their families.

**Flashback**

"_Bella! Emmett! Come down here please!" my mom Renee called. She and our dad Charlie were sitting in the living room when my brother and I finally made our ways down to the living room._

"_What is it, Mom?" asked Emmett._

"_Honey, your dad and I have decided to get a divorce. You both know that we haven't been getting along very well lately, and we've decided that it's better that we go ahead and get a divorce," Renee said._

"_What? No! You guys can't get a divorce. No!" I yelled._

"_Bella, honey. It's going to be okay. It's better this way. We hate that have fights around you two, and we feel that it's better for you and your brother…and us…if we get a divorce," Charlie said._

"_Charlie's right. We don't think it's fair for both of you to have to witness this. So, the decision is made. We're getting a divorce, and you guys are moving with me…to Florida," Renee said._

"_What?! No. Mom, Dad, I'm not moving!" Emmett yelled._

"_Me, either!" I yelled._

"_There's no discussion on this! You two are moving with me and that's final. We are leaving in one week. End of discussion," Renee said with a tone of finality. She looked at me and Emmett with such a serious look on her face that we decided not to complain more. We knew not to argue with her._

"_What about Dad?" I said, quietly._

"_Since he's the Chief here, your dad's going to stay here, while we move," Renee said._

"_Oh, Bella. We'll still see each other. I'll see you two weeks every summer and then a week during Christmas vacation, and you guys can call me any time you want, ok?" Charlie said thickly._

_I started crying and ran to my dad. He picked me up and held on tight, like he was never going to see me again. That thought made me cry even harder._

_My mom spoke up, "There's another thing. I'm leaving tomorrow to go and get everything ready for you guys. You two are going to pack up your stuff and Charlie's going to ship some of it while you guys fly to Jacksonville together."_

_Emmett and I sat in silence while Mom was telling us everything and, when she was done, Charlie spoke up, "Why don't you guys go ahead and head up to bed? That way you can spend the next couple of days at the Cullens' house while your mom and I finish up everything here, okay?"_

"_Okay, Dad. Love you," Emmett said, giving Charlie a hug. "Love you, Mom."_

"_Love you, Emmett," they said in unison._

"_Night, Daddy. Night, Mommy," I said, giving them both a hug before heading upstairs after Emmett._

"_Love you, Bella."_

_I followed Emmett to his room lay down with him. I started to cry and he held me close. "Bella. Don't worry. At least we'll both be together, you know?"_

"_I know, Emmy, but what about all of our friends?" I cried._

"_Well, we can all still keep in contact. We won't have to give them up completely, Bells. Don't worry," Emmett smiled, trying to reassure me. I only nodded._

_We both fell asleep in Emmett's room that night. The next day we packed up our overnight bags to stay with the Cullens. We said goodbye to our mom, but we would see her in a week, so it wasn't that bad. Daddy walked us over to Edward and Alice's house and gave us each a big hug when Carlisle answered the door._

"_Now, you two be good for Carlisle and Esme, okay?" We only nodded, still too sad to do much more. "I'll be back for you guys tomorrow afternoon when I get off work, okay? I love you both."_

"_Love you, too, Dad," Emmett and I said together. "Bye."_

_He left us and Carlisle closed the door. "How 'bout you guys go ahead and take your bags upstairs? You know where Alice and Edward's rooms are, and you can come down to the kitchen to eat breakfast, okay?" he asked softly._

"_Okay." I followed Emmett upstairs to put our bags down. I followed him to Edward's room and he followed me to Alice's room. We kept quiet the entire walk, and once we got down to the kitchen, a little body flung itself at me._

"_Oh, Bella! I'm going to miss you so much!" Alice cried._

"_I know, Alice! I'm going to miss you so much, too!" I cried._

"_Oh, boy," said Emmett. "Here we go with the waterworks." He and Edward rolled their eyes. "Well, Edward, you know that I'll miss you, but do I have to cry and hug, too?"he joked as he clapped Edward on the back._

_Edward laughed. "No, man. I'll miss you, too, but no hugs. Please."_

_Esme laughed. "Okay, kids! Enough crying for right now. We're going to enjoy Bella and Emmett's last week in Forks. That means no talk of missing anyone and no crying. At least for the time being. Now, we're going to eat our wonderful breakfast and then you all are going to play enough for a lifetime." I knew I liked Esme for a reason._

_We soon finished our breakfast and headed outside to head over to Jasper and Rosalie's house to tell them the news. They both took it as hard as the Cullens did. Rosalie gave me a big hug and vowed that she and Alice would write me every week. Jasper just clapped Emmett on the back and told him that he would miss him. Boys._

_The six of us played together for the rest of the day and headed over to Edward and Alice's house when we were tired. Esme and Carlisle ordered pizza for us since we were going to have a movie night and sleep in the living room, just like a big slumber party. Before we ate anything, though, we all went upstairs to change into our pajamas. We hurried, though, so our food wouldn't get cold, so we rushed down the stairs. I fell at the bottom but Edward was nice enough to catch me._

"_Thank you, Edward," I said, blushing._

"_No problem, Bella," he said. I started toward the living room but Edward caught my arm before I could move very far. "Wait. I have to tell you something." I turned to him expectantly. "Bella, I'm going to miss you very much. You're my best friend. Please promise me that you'll stay in touch with me. Please?" he pleaded._

"_Oh, Edward," I cried. "Of course. You're my best friend, too. I could never not stay in touch with you. Now come on so we can eat and watch the movie," I said, pulling his arm._

"_Wait. I have a present for you," he said. He picked something off of the floor and handed it to me. It was his baseball hoodie._

"_Edward! You can't give me this! You love this hoodie!" I exclaimed._

"_Don't be crazy, Bella. It's a gift and you can give back gifts," Edward said._

_I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Eddie." I gave him a hug._

"_Ugh! Don't call me Eddie!" he complained._

"_Ed. Please?" I begged with my puppy dog face._

"_Fine. As long as I get to call you…Bells."_

_I pulled away from him. "I hate Bells."_

"_Well, I hate Eddie, so we're even."_

"_Fine. Let's go eat."_

"_Okay."_

"_Hey, Edward…" I said as we headed into the living room where everyone was waiting on us._

"_Yeah?"_

"_Thanks for the present. I love it," I said, blushing._

"_You're welcome," he said, blushing, too. I made Edward blush! He never blushes!_

_We walked into the living room and saw that everyone else had already taken their seats and that the only seats left were two together, so Edward and I had to sit together._

"_What movie are we going to watch?" Rosalie asked._

"_How about Space Jam?" asked Jasper._

"_Or Harriet the Spy!" Alice exclaimed._

"_How about both of them?" said Esme as she and Carlisle walked in the room with the pizza boxes and some plates. "Here you go. We're going to get the drinks and bring them in here for you guys. What do you want to drink?"_

"_Coke!" said Jasper_

"_Sprite." said Rosalie._

"_Fruit punch."I said._

"_Milk!"Emmett said._

"_Dr. Pepper."Edward said._

"_Chocolate milk."Alice said._

"_We'll be back in a minute," Carlisle said as he and Esme went to get our drinks._

_They were back within the next couple of minutes and we started our movie. We ended up watching both movies but ended up falling asleep on the couches we were on. The next morning I woke up and I was snuggled close to Edward. He smelled really good, and he had his arms wrapped around me. I didn't want to wake up but I had to eventually. I opened my eyes and found myself staring at a pair of green eyes._

"_Good morning, Bells," he whispered._

_I smiled. "Good morning, Eddie."_

"_Did you sleep well?" he asked._

_I nodded my head yes. "Did you?"_

"_I did." He was quiet for a minute. "Bella?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Please don't forget me," Edward pleaded._

"_I promise." I leaned in closer to him and gave him a big hug. "I'll never forget you."We snuggled closer and held onto each other, just listening to each other's breathing. I fell asleep again while listening to Edward's heart beat._

_We all spent the rest of the day together, but it had to come to an end. Our dad came to get us when he got off from work at the police station. We said goodbye to everyone after we promised to see them before we left in a couple of days._

_We walked back over to our house and walked inside. "Are you guys hungry?" Daddy asked._

"_Yeah!" Emmett said, laughing. "Of course."_

_That made Daddy laugh. "I ordered some pizza, and it should be here in about 20 minutes. How 'bout you kids head upstairs and clean up?"_

_Emmett and I raced upstairs to put our stuff in our rooms and to clean up. It only took us a few minutes, so we headed back downstairs to hang out with our dad until the pizza got there. We sat on the couch, with Daddy sitting between us, just watching some sports. Just like the good ol' days, where we didn't have to worry about never seeing our friends or dad again. Soon, however, the food got there and we ate in silence._

_Daddy gave us a hug each before we all headed upstairs. I got ready for bed and climbed into my bed. I would have to leave it behind, in Forks. That's what Mom said. She said that Emmy and I would be getting all new furniture, that way we would be able to leave the big stuff here, so we would have some stuff left at Daddy's house, too._

_The next couple of days were basically the same. Emmett and I packed up our clothes, books, and a few odds and ends. On Friday morning, however, we packed everything into Daddy's cruiser and left to go to the airport. It was our last time in Forks. At least for awhile. Emmett and I were sad that we didn't get to say goodbye to our friends, but Daddy said that we would get a chance to. I didn't understand him, but I went along with it._

_He pulled into an empty parking space and we started unloading our suitcases. We checked our stuff in and got ready to leave. The three of us sat in some uncomfortable plastic chairs and waited. I felt like crying. _

"_Now, kids," Daddy started. He stopped to clear his throat but started back. "Don't be angry with us, okay? We didn't think it was fair for you guys to be split up, so we decided that you could go together. I'll miss you guys very much, but don't forget that you can call me anytime, okay?" We both nodded. "Now, I think you guys have some visitors," he smiled._

_I turned around and saw all of our friends. They had come to say goodbye to us. Emmett and I got up and ran to them, crying. Alice, Rosalie, and I stood in one spot hugging each other, while Emmett, Edward, and Jasper hugged each other. We stayed that way for a minute and then we switched. Suddenly, I was between Jasper and Edward, and Emmett was between Alice and Rosalie. _

"_Flight 237 to Jacksonville, Florida, will be boarding in 10 minutes. All passengers please make your way to the boarding area. Thank you."_

"_Well, this is it you guys," Esme said as she and Carlisle made their way over to us, as did Rosalie and Jasper's parents. "Emmett, Bella, don't forget to write us, okay? And don't forget that we love you very, very much." They all gave me and Emmett a big hug and let go. _

"_Bye, everyone!" we said as we followed our dad to the boarding gate. He gave the lady there our boarding passes so we could get on._

"_Well, kids. I guess this is goodbye. For now. Don't forget to call me, okay? And don't ever forget that I love you both very much," Daddy said, as tears started to roll down his face._

_I nodded my head and held onto my dad very tightly. "I love you, Daddy," I whispered._

"_Love you, too, Bella."_

"_I love you, Dad," Emmett said._

"_Love you, too, Em. Take good care of your sister, okay?" He nodded. "And be good for your mom, too."_

_We gave our dad one last hug and headed over to the walkway to the airplane. I turned around and looked at my dad. He looked so sad. I suddenly felt horrible that we had to leave him all alone in Forks. I waved at him and he waved goodbye to me and Emmy. Emmett took my hand as we made our way to the airplane for a ride that would change our lives forever._

**End of Flashback**


	2. Chapter 2

"Bella. Bella! Wakey-wakey, little sis. It's time to get off the plane now," I heard Emmett say as he shook me.

"Em…five more minutes? Please?" I pleaded as I opened my eyes.

"Do you want me to cause a scene like last time and carry you?" he grinned.

I stood up fast. "No, thanks. Let's go."

He laughed as he stood up. "Come on, Bells. It wasn't that bad. I only carried you down the aisle and out the plane before we were asked to stop."

"Yeah, and you mortified me enough to last a lifetime," I retorted as I grabbed my bookbag and started down the aisle after Emmett.

"You get embarrassed at the least littlest thing, though, so it shouldn't matter," he said as we made our way out of the plane and into the airport.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you see Dad?" I asked as I started looking around for Charlie. "He's supposed to be here by now."

Emmett looked around the tiny airport. "Yeah. He's right there," he said, pointing toward the front of the waiting area.

We looked at each other and took off for our dad. It was tradition: we would see our dad and run for him. The person who got there last (usually me) had to make dinner that night. We had started the tradition the first time we came back to visit our dad.

I tripped, of course, on the way, making my brother the winner once again. I heard my dad laugh as he bent down to help me up. "Bella, Bella. Still clumsy?"

I turned bright red as I said, "Yeah. How've you been, Dad? I mean, it's been two weeks, right?" I grinned.

He laughed again. "That's right, two weeks. I'm good, sweetheart. I'm good."

"And no one knows that we're back, right?" Emmett asked.

"Right. Although, I think you should've told someone. I've had everyone asking me when you two were coming back," Charlie said.

"Everyone meaning Alice, right?" I smirked.

"Can't fool you, can I?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"She was really upset that she was missed you guys two weeks ago, but the Cullens had already planned their trip to Alaska a couple of months back, so nothing could be done about it," Charlie said, shaking his head.

I nodded. "I know. She emailed me about it when I told her when we were coming. Her email back to me was in all caps, exclaiming that I was ruining her vacation." I grinned. Alice could be quite the drama queen when she didn't get what she wanted. Rose and I would just give in to her pleading when we were younger when she would want to play "Fashion Show" instead of playing with the boys. Happy Alice is a hundred times better than Angry, Mad, Upset Alice.

"Let's get our luggage so you can start dinner, Bella. I'm starving," Emmett whined as his stomach started growling. He was standing behind me and tapping the back of my leg with a suitcase he had in his hand.

We got our luggage quickly and headed toward Charlie's cruiser, piling everything into the trunk. I sat up front, while Emmett sat in the back, behind the glass partition. I grinned when I looked back at my brother, looking the part of the criminal. At least in my mind.

"What are you grinning at, little sister?"

"Nothing. Just at the criminal in the back seat," I laughed.

"Just wait 'til you're back here. Just wait."

I rolled my eyes as I turned back to the road. The rest of the trip from Port Angeles to Forks was uneventful. It was pretty quiet in the cruiser, save for the radio and some humming from Emmett. The whole way back I was thinking about what everyone's reactions were going to be once we got back. I mean, we hadn't seen any of our friends in a couple of years. Our friends had gone with Charlie to California the first couple of summers that we had been gone, and we had even gone to Disney Land with our whole families (with the exception of Renee and Phil) the summer I was fourteen, but the past couple of years had been absent of our friends. Of course we had kept in touch with email and phone calls, but we all had gotten super busy with school and everything else so we hadn't seen each other since that summer. Three years had gone by and I was starting to get anxious at the thought of seeing Edward once again. I still slept with his baseball hoodie that he had given me when Emmett and I had moved away.

I had apparently fallen asleep again because the next thing I knew was Charlie shaking me and telling me to wake up, that we had arrived home.

I looked around at my surroundings. It was the same Forks that I had left 6 years previous. Just about everything was the same, save for the newer model cars on the street around us. I got out of the cruiser slowly, not wanting to fall flat on my face. Emmett had already gotten his stuff out and was working on getting my stuff, too.

"Thanks, Em," I yawned.

"No problem, Bell," he grinned. "So, I guess you're too tired to cook tonight?" I nodded as I yawned again. "I guess we'll be eating pizza tonight, Dad," he said, turning to Charlie.

"Aw, that's fine. You guys need to rest up anyway. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I know you guys are probably going to need to sleep in, so don't worry about going to school tomorrow, but I was thinking that you would want to go visit your friends after they get out of school."

"Oh," I said, with a sinking feeling in my stomach. _One step closer to Edward_, I thought. _One step closer to the best friend that I hadn't seen in three years. _"Yeah. If you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind. Now let's get your stuff in and order dinner. You look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet."

I followed my dad and brother into our house. It, like Forks, was the same as it had been six years ago when we left. Nothing had really changed except for the pictures. The ones with my mom in them were now gone and replaced with updated pictures of Emmett and me.

Charlie stayed downstairs to order the pizza while Emmett and I went upstairs to start unpacking. I followed Emmett to my room, where he sat my suitcases down. "Hey, Em?" I asked as he started to leave.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning back around.

"Are you nervous about seeing our friends again? I mean, it's been, what? Three years?"

"I guess. I mean, it's weird, you know? Not having seen them in so long, but still knowing that they're our friends. I guess we'll just find out tomorrow then, won't we?" he grinned.

I nodded. "I know what you mean. I'm so nervous about seeing Edward again. I mean, we were best friends growing up, but we haven't seen each other since we were fourteen. Now we're seventeen…"

"Of course it's going to be weird, Bella. Don't worry so much about it, though. You guys will always be best friends, understand? And if Edward does anything that'll hurt you, I'm always here to kick his butt."

I grinned. "Thanks, Em."

"No prob. Anyway, I'm going to head to my room so I can start unpacking, ok? Let me know if you need anything, little sister."

"I will, big brother," I smiled. He turned and headed out the door, and I fell back on my bed. I wanted to take Emmett's advice but I was still worried about seeing my best friend again.

I got finished with my unpacking as soon as the pizza was delivered. Emmett and I raced downstairs, but I beat him, for once. The three of us ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Afterward, I cleared the dishes and washed them before heading back to my room to go to sleep. Jet lag was starting to catch up with me, so I kissed Charlie goodnight and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

After I brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas, I walked back to my room and snuggled under the covers, thinking about what the next day would bring. My last thoughts as I drifted off were those of my best friend and me as we reunited.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

I woke up to the sound of rain hitting my window. That was something that I was going to have to get used to again, the rain. Sure it rained in Florida, and we had hurricanes, but it didn't rain constantly. I opened my eyes to take in everything around me and noticed that there was a note on my pillow.

_Bella,_

_Didn't want to wake you up, but I just wanted you to know that there's a surprise for you and Emmett downstairs on the kitchen table, for school. It's not much, but it's something that you two need. I'll see you both when I get off work._

_Love, _

_Dad_

I got up and ran to Emmett's room. He was still asleep, so I leapt on his bed and started jumping. "Emmett! Time to get up! Dad left us a present downstairs!"

Emmett's eyes sprang open and he pushed me over the side of the bed, leaping toward the door. "I'm going to beat you!" he laughed as he ran downstairs.

I followed, limping. "Stupid Emmett," I muttered as I made my way after the big oaf I like to call my brother.

Emmett was standing at the kitchen table and looking at something on the table. I made my way over to him and smacked him on the arm. "Thanks a lot, you big jerk. That hurt."

He turned to me and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Suck it up," he grinned. "Look at what Dad got us!"

"A key ring?" I asked, suddenly wary of what our father had gotten us.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not, loser. Well, it is a key chain, for the two of us, but they have keys on them. As in, Dad got us cars, Bella!"

"What?! Are you serious? What did he get us?" I screeched. He shrugged and I said, "Well, come on! Let's go!" I ran off toward the front of the house toward the front door, with Emmett following closely behind. I stopped as soon as I got to the front step outside of the door and stood there, gazing at the beautiful cars in front of my brother and me. They were amazing. Charlie had gotten Emmett humongous green Jeep Wrangler, while I had received a red Ford truck. Of course they weren't brand new, far from it, but they were the best cars. Most definitely.

"Oh, wow. Wow," Emmett kept repeating.

We stood there, looking at our cars for a few more minutes before heading inside. I started making chocolate chip pancakes for the both of us, and Emmett watched me. "Hey, kid?"

"Emmett," I warned. "I asked you not to call me that."

He rolled his eyes. "Please." I glared at him. "Fine. Isabella. What do you want to do today?"

"I guess we should get everything cleaned up, you know? I mean, that way we don't have to worry about it, on top of starting school tomorrow. I know you don't like to clean or anything, but it would be nice for Dad if he came home to a clean house, right?"

Emmett groaned. "Argh. I guess you're right. Oh, we should go to the store afterwards, that way we can stock up on some food. The cupboards around here are almost bare."

I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, or maybe we should just make something here tonight, since we might have to get some school supplies tomorrow after school?"

"Yeah. Now, let's stop talking and eat breakfast. I'm starving."

"You're always starving," I said as I placed a stack of pancakes in front of my brother and I as I sat down to eat. "What do you think of the pancakes?"

He dug in and responded with a full mouth, "First of all, I'm a growing boy and I need my food. Second, these pancakes are the best ever. Bells, you could seriously become a chef if you wanted to. I mean, if the whole teacher thing doesn't work out."

"Really?" I asked, playing along and acting surprised.

"You're a horrible actor. You know that you're good enough. You cook all the time," he said as he was still chewing. He took a gulp of milk from his glass and swallowed. "But seriously. These are probably the best I've ever had. No kidding."

"Well, thanks."

Our conversation ended there as we continued the meal in silence. I sat there just playing with my food for awhile before I noticed that Emmett had stopped eating. I looked up and caught him staring at me. "What is it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I think that I'm nervous. Really nervous." He looked down. "I know that I said that everything would be alright, but what if it's not?"

I was shocked. In the whole time that I've lived with my brother, I don't think I've ever really seen him down like this, except for the time when we moved away, but that was a different story. "Em. It's going to be alright. Remember what you told me last night or did you already forget? They're our friends. Just because we haven't seen each other in almost three years doesn't mean that we're not friends. It's going to be a little weird, and it's going to take a while to get in the swing of things again, but I really think it's going to be okay."

My brother smiled. "Thanks, Bells. You're the best little sis ever," he said as he got up, walked around the table and engulfed me with in one of his bear hugs.

"No problem, big brother. I'm nervous, too, but we won't know until later. Plus," I added, grinning. "I didn't know that you were turning into a big softie."

He pushed me away as he rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Now, I need to start unpacking. I don't want to live out of my suitcases for forever."

I rolled my eyes as I put our plates in the sink and washed them. After I got finished, I went upstairs to my room and lay back down on my bed. Chores could wait until Emmett finished unpacking his things.

I heard a dinging coming from my open laptop, signaling that I had an IM. I picked my laptop up from the place on the floor where I moved it to last night and saw that the IM was from Edward. I smiled. I loved the fact that we still talked to each other, even if we couldn't see the other person. Emails and texts and phone calls are what kept me going for the past three years. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been able to talk to my best friend about everything important that was going on in my life.

_Hey, Bells. You know what I was thinking?_

I laughed while I wrote him back. _**No. I don't know what you were thinking….what were you thinking?**_

I didn't have to wait for very long before I got a reply. _I think that you should blow off your school in sunny Florida and come visit me in Forks._

_**Edward. Seriously? I have **__**very**__** important placement tests coming up this year. I can't leave now. :(**_

_Bell-ll-ll-a. For me? Alice and Jasper are driving me and Rose insane! I'm serious. They finally started dating at the beginning of the summer…and they're insufferable._

I laughed when I read Edward's last message. _**Yeah? Alice told me that you were being all mopey and stuff when they were around…**_

_That's only because there are the typical "cute" couple, with couple names for each other. Already. I need you here to alleviate all of the cuteness._

_**Eddie. I'm sorry, but I can't. I'll try to come at Christmas, but I can't come for the school year. Please forgive me. **_I laughed out loud at the last sentence I sent. It was just too funny that he was begging me to come, with me saying that there was no way.

"Hey. What are you doing?"

I turned around at Emmett's voice. "Nothing. Just talking to Edward."

"Oooh. How's Eddie Bear doing?" he grinned.

"Emmett," I scolded. "He doesn't like being called that, and you know it."

He shrugged. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. He's just begging me to come and stay in Forks to alleviate the cute couple that is finally Alice and Jasper."

"They finally got together? Man, Edward and I had a bet on how long it would be before they would. I thought it would be much sooner than this. Crap. That means I have to be Eddie Bear's slave for a day…if he remembers…and don't you dare tell him!" he yelled as I started typing.

"Too late," I grinned.

"Isabella! I will get you back for this," Emmett said with an evil grin.

I just stuck my tongue out at him as he left my room. I turned back to the laptop to read Edward's response.

_I understand. I just miss my best friend. Maybe soon? Oh, and let Emmett know that the next time that I see him, be ready. :)_

_**So, how's your vacation going? Other than Alice and Jasper making googly-eyes at each other?**_

_It's pretty boring. Just a bunch of cousins that we haven't seen in forever. We're leaving for the airport in about an hour, and I am SO GLAD that I'm going to be back in my own bed in a few short hours. Ah, glorious bliss._

_**I'm sorry that it didn't turn out that well. I guess I'll be hearing more details later from Alice when she calls to explain how horrible it all was. But I guess that I should be letting you go, so you can finish getting ready and so I can finish up some cleaning. Call me later, though, ok?**_

_Ok. I will. Love you Bells._

_**Love you, too, Eddie.**_

With that, I signed off and closed my laptop. I was so excited about seeing Edward that I put my computer down and ran to Emmett's room, suddenly full of energy.

"What are you so hyper for?" my brother asked. "Oh, wait. Let me take a wild guess: your boyfriend," he said, smiling.

I hit him on the arm. "Emmett. He's not my boyfriend, but yes, I'm happy about seeing Edward. Now, let's start cleaning. I'll take the kitchen, you take the bathroom, and we'll both do the living room, deal?"

"Why do I have to clean the bathroom?" Emmett whined. "I always have to clean the bathroom."

"Because I know where everything goes in the kitchen, and the bathroom has less breakables than the kitchen. That's means that there are fewer things for you to see if you can break." I paused. "Just go, OK? Please, for me?" I asked, putting on my best 'puppy-dog eyes' look. Emmett was a sucker for my begging face and he caved in easily.

"Fine, fine, but next time it'll be different. I promise you that one," he muttered as he walked toward the bathroom.

I just smiled. He always said that, and our chores never changed.


	3. Chapter 3

Before I left my room, I grabbed my phone because I knew that Alice would be calling me as soon as she was able. I left my room, walked down the stairs, and entered the kitchen. There wasn't much to do really, other than sweeping the floor, putting the clean dishes up, and wiping down the counters.

Before long, I was done and walking into the living room, where Emmett was lying down on the couch with his eyes closed. "Emmett," I said. "Did you really finish cleaning up the bathroom?"

"Yes. I even used the bleach and scrubbed everything down. I have a headache now. Thanks," he said sarcastically.

Typical Emmett. "Em. We don't have much left to do. Only the living room is left, and then we're done. You can take a nap after we finish. Come on," I said as I made my way over to the couch and plopped down on top of my brother.

"Bells. Get off of me!" he said as he started tickling my sides. "Fine, fine. Let's do this," he said as I fell on the floor and he stood up. "I'll get this side of the room, and you get the other, OK?"

" 'Kay!" I said as I leapt up and started cleaning. Surprisingly, there wasn't much dust on the mantel or the shelves, so we were finished within 20 minutes or so. When I finished, I fell on the couch and let out a sigh.

"Done," I said, exhausted. I opened my mouth to ask Emmett something, but I was caught off by The Fray's "How to Save a Life," which was my ringtone set for Alice. "Hey you! How was the trip?"

"Ugh. Don't even. I mean, we all went shopping, but that was the highlight of the trip and that was two weeks ago! It was great to see all of our relatives that we hadn't seen in awhile, but still. I would have rather seen you than have to go through all of that. I can't believe that I missed you! We haven't seen each other in almost three years, Bella!" Alice said in a rush.

"I know, I know. I think that I'm going to try to come out at Christmas, though," I said, almost laughing out loud.

She just groaned. "That's not the point, Isabella."

"Then what is the point, Mary Alice?"

"The point is that we haven't seen each other and I miss seeing your face! And we both know that your mom isn't going to let you come for Christmas!" she exclaimed. "She never lets you come for Christmas," she said in a huff.

"I'm sorry, but I think that maybe she will this year, you know? I have a feeling that she might."

Alice started mumbling, and then there was another voice coming from Alice's end of the phone. "Alice, who are you talking to?" the voice said.

"Edward! It's none of your business."

"Are you talking to Bella? Let me talk to her," he said.

"No! I'm talking to her right now. You can talk to her later! Edward, no!" she was yelling.

There was some yelling and an occasional "Ouch!" being interjected, but then the noise quieted. "Bella?" Edward's voice came out, wheezing slightly.

"Edward? Are you OK?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good. Alice, just hit me in the stomach," he said. "Sorry. Anyway, what were you guys talking about Christmas for?"

"I told Alice that maybe I can get my mom to let us come up there for Christmas, since we weren't able to see you guys a couple of weeks ago."

"Yeah? Well…I hate that," he stated matter-of-factly. "I miss my best friend."

"Really now?"

He groaned. "Of course I do." He paused. "So, what are you doing?"

I panicked for a second. "Oh…um…I…Emmett and I just finished cleaning up the house. It was kind of dirty, and we wanted to surprise our mom." Phew. Close call. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just lying on my bed, looking at your dad's house." _What?! Oh, no. Oh, no! He must know that we're back!_

"What are you doing that for?"

"Just remembering that time that you tackled Jasper that one time. Remember?"

I laughed. "Oh, yeah. He stole Alice's Barbie doll, and she said that if I was her best friend that I would get it back for her." I paused. "Besides, we were five at the time, and we didn't know any better. Plus, we didn't find out until later that we could have just threatened to tickle him to give the doll back. He starts laughing when you come at him, wiggling your fingers. Does he still do that?"

"Yeah. There was this time that we were all watching a movie right before school let out this past May, and there's Jasper, sitting in the recliner. Well, Alice wanted to sit in it, since it's her favorite chair, so she asks him to move. Of course, being the stubborn guy that he is, he refuses, you know, just to mess with her. So, she gets this glint in her eye, and he asks what she's thinking. She replies, 'Oh, nothing,' and comes at him, wiggling her fingers, and he starts flailing his arms and gasping for breath. Suddenly, he jumps out of the chair and tells her to take it."

"What did she do?"

"She smiled and sat down. Jasper sat with me and Rose on the couch. It was the funniest thing ever. He leaned over to me and whispered, 'Man, your sister is the greatest.' I just looked at him and he said that no girl has ever done anything like that, and that he was thinking about maybe asking her out sometime. I was completely baffled."

"Wow. So…wait. Alice didn't say anything about that when she told me that he asked her out."

"Well, no. He got cold feet and didn't ask her out until almost a month or so later, when we were about to leave for Alaska. He and Rosalie came over to say goodbye to us, and Jasper and Alice walked off for a minute, and the next thing I know, I hear her screaming. We got really worried, but they came back, holding hands and grinning really big."

"She told me that he said that she was really the only one for him and that he hoped that she wouldn't find some other guy while you guys were in Alaska. Then, he asked her to be his girlfriend. Of course, she started screaming about how he shouldn't have waited until they were leaving, but she understood completely. Alice said that she's been the happiest person in the world ever since," I sighed.

"Like, gag me with a spoon," a fake falsetto voice said behind me. I whipped my head around and saw Emmett grinning at me. "Give me a break. I'm so disgusted that I'm going to…"

"Emmett!" I hissed.

"What?!" He looked at me. I was trying to convey the message through my eyes. His eyes widened. "Oh…oh!"

"What did he say?" Edward's voice asked over the phone.

"Oh. He was just saying how disgusted he was going to be once Christmas rolls around and we're back in Forks. You know, when he sees how couple-y Alice and Jasper are."

"Oh, yeah? Well, maybe we can just avoid them," he said.

"Edward Anthony Cullen! No you will not! I will not avoid by one of best and oldest friends!" Alice screeched.

I held the phone away from my ear. "Hey," I yelled. "Hey! You guys! I'm still here," I said as Edward and Alice got into a yelling match.

"Sorry about that. I wrestled MY phone away from my brother," Alice panted. "Anyway, I have to go finish unpacking and getting ready for school in the morning. I'll talk to you later, OK?"

"OK. And tell Edward I'll talk to him later, too, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.

"Thanks, pal."

"No problem. Love you, Bella!"

"Love you, too, Ally." I shut my phone and fell back down on my brother.

"So, Bells…when are we going over there?"

I thought for a second. "Hm…I think we should go after dinner. We could have Dad call the Cullens and Hales to tell them that he has to something to tell them. He could invite them over, we could hide upstairs and then come down when he calls us."

"I don't know. Maybe we should just go over there right now. I'm just ready to see my friends."

"Maybe." I grinned. "But first you have to tell me why you didn't finish unpacking last night. Maybe if you had, you wouldn't be so tired."

"Bella…" he groaned. "I don't want to have to go through this."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, I was talking to Lily."

"Oh." I paused for a minute. "Is everything OK?"

"Yeah. Everything's peachy, Bella. My girlfriend and I just miss each other."

"Emmett. I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't mean to…"

Emmett placed his hands over his eyes. "No. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I _wanted_ to move here to be around Dad before I go off to college. It's just that Lily wanted to be together for our senior year. She told me that she understood, but she's been saying that nothing is turning out like she wanted. We were on the phone pretty much all night, with me calming her down."

"Oh, Emmett. Are you OK?"

"Not really, but let's not talk about that. So…have you decided about our friends?"

I nodded. "Yep. Let's go right now."

Emmett jumped up. "Oh, yeah! Wait. Are they all at the Cullen house, or do we need to go to Jasper and Rosalie's first?"

"Hm. I'll call Rose and talk to her for a few minutes. Sound OK?"

He nodded. "I'm going to run up to my room first. Come get me when you're ready."

"OK," I said as I started dialing Rose's phone number.

The line was ringing. "Hello?" Rosalie answered.

"Rose?"

"Bella! Hey! How are you?"

"Great, and you?"

"Pretty good. I'm just over at Alice's right now. We're about to watch a movie, actually."

"Ooh. What movie?"

"Some lame scary one that the boys picked out. Wait a minute. Alice!" she yelled.

"What?!" I heard Alice yell back.

"What movie are we watching?"

"Oh, um…My Bloody Valentine. My boyfriend is coming over in a few minutes, and then we're all watching it. So, Alice told me that you and Emmett are going to try to come for Christmas this year?" she asked.

"Yep. We both miss you guys a lot."

"Aw. We all miss you guys, too! I need to get going, though. Robert's due here any minute."

"Oh, no problem. I'll talk to you later, OK?"

"OK. Love you Belly-Welly."

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh. You and Emmett with your stupid nicknames."

"You know you love it. Deep down, you really do." I could practically hear her smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to you later, Rosalie."

"Bye."

"Bye." I closed my phone and lay my head back on the couch. _Time to get moving_, I thought. I got up off the couch and walked upstairs to Emmett's room. I knocked on his door, but he didn't say anything. "Emmett?"

"Come in!" I walked in. "So, what did she say?"

"They're over at Alice and Edward's house. They're about to watch a movie, though, so we should get over there now. Are you ready?" I asked, looking around. He was walking around, looking for something. "Did you lose something already?"

"Yeah. My shoes."

"Seriously, Emmett?"

He looked at me and grinned. "No. I'm just kidding," he said. "They're right here. Give me a minute."

I sat down on the edge of his bed as I waited impatiently for him to slip his Converses on and tie them. "Are you ready yet?"

"Nope. I'm just going to take my time…" he trailed off.

"Em! Come on!" I said as I took my brother's hand and started pulling him toward the door.

He wrenched his hand away from mine. "OK, OK. Let me finish this shoe and we can go." He bent down and tied his shoe, and walked out his door. I followed quickly. Too quickly, as I stumbled on the last stair and fell on the floor.

Emmett let out a big sigh. "You know, you need to be more careful when you do things like that. You're way too clumsy," he added, smiling.

I muttered at him, "Yeah, yeah." I got up off the floor and started walking toward the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving Dad a letter, in case he comes home and wonders where we are."

"Oh. That's smart."

I wrote a quick note and stuck it on the fridge, where Charlie was sure to see it. Then, I proceeded to go out the front door. Emmett closed the door behind him, and we were off to see our friends.


	4. Chapter 4

We made our way down the street, around the corner, and down the next street before we saw the Cullen house. We didn't go through the backyard, just in case Edward was reminiscing from his bedroom window again. As we got closer and closer, I was starting to become more apprehensive than I had before.

"Em. I'm so excited!" I screeched. "We're minutes away from seeing everyone!"

Emmett grinned. "I know. Here we are."

We had come up to the front steps and were making it the front steps. Anxiously, I knocked on the massive oak door. I held my breath as I heard a voice say, "Coming! Just a second!" Footsteps followed and suddenly the front door swung open. "Yes?" Alice asked. She stood there, looking at us for a second before letting out an ear-splitting shriek. "AHHHHHHHHH! Bella! Emmett! AHHHHHHHHHH!" She ran to me, grabbed me in a nearly bone-crushing hug, and started jumping up and down. "What are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

I started laughing. "We just moved here!"

She stopped jumping up and down. "What?! When we talked on the phone you said that you weren't going to be able to visit until Christmas!"

"I know! We got here last night and wanted to surprise you guys!"

Alice just gawked at me in silence. "Don't I get a hug, too?" Emmett asked.

She grinned. "Of course you do, Emmett!" She ran over to him. "Oh, I missed you, too! Everyone's back together again!"

They let go of each other as we heard footsteps come to the door. "Alice? What's going on out here?" It was Edward. He took a look at us and practically lunged for me. "Bells! What…what are you doing here?

"Emmett and I decided to move back here! Aren't you so excited?!" I squealed.

He pushed me back so he could look me in the face. "Are you serious? This is fantastic!" he said as he pulled me into his arms again. His embrace made me feel like I was finally home.

"Come on, you two, Rose and Jasper are probably wondering what's going on," Alice said. "You two are going to stay and watch the movie, right?"

Emmett nodded. "Of course, Pixie."

Alice stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Emmett said, grinning.

She just rolled her eyes. "You and your nicknames. Everyone's got to have a nickname. Whatever," she mumbled under her breath as we walked to the den, which was in the basement. "Oh, yeah," she said in her regular voice as she turned to my brother and I. "Mom and Dad aren't back yet. They had to run to the grocery store to pick up some food since we just got back and everything."

We made it into the den before Rosalie and Jasper looked up and noticed us. They both jumped up from their spots and ran to us, engulfing us once again with remembrances of our true home. Everything was complete now.

"Is this why you called me, Bella? To make sure we were here?" Rosalie screeched. I just grinned. She scowled. "You sneak!"

"How long are you guys here for?" Jasper asked.

"We actually moved here," Emmett said. "I wanted to be here with Dad before I went off to college, and Bella couldn't live without me," he grinned. I just rolled my eyes.

I looked at Rosalie. "I thought your boyfriend was supposed to be over here, too? Where's he at?"

She looked down at the floor for a second before looking up and answering the question. "Oh. He just called a minute ago to let me know he won't be able to make it tonight. He said that his little sister got sick unexpectedly. So…yeah."

We were all quiet for a second before Edward clapped his hands and said, "How about that movie?"

"Yeah!" Alice said, jumping up and down in her spot. "OK. Emmett, you and Rosalie can sit over there on the loveseat. Jasper and I will sit here on this couch, and Edward, you and Bella can sit on that couch. Sound good? Jasper? Why don't you put the movie in and start it while Edward and Bella go and make some popcorn?"

As Edward took my hand to lead me upstairs and into the kitchen, Jasper got up to find where they had placed the movie. Edward pulled me into the pristine kitchen and I was amazed at the gleaming white surfaces everywhere.

"Wow. Your mom must clean this place all the time."

Edward looked back at me from near the cabinets. He just shrugged. "I guess. I mean, she works at home, with her painting and decorating, so yeah, she pretty much threatens us within an inch of our lives if we come in and dirty her clean house," he said smiling.

I sat down at the kitchen island as he took a couple of popcorn packages from the cabinet and tore away the outer cellophane. He placed the first package in the microwave and then turned to me. "So…"

"So…" I said also.

"So, when I messaged you earlier, you were actually here in Forks?" I nodded. "And when Alice and I talked to you earlier, you were in Forks, too?" I nodded again. "Wow," he said as he ran his left hand through his unruly bronze hair.

"And we're starting school at Forks High School tomorrow, too!" I smiled.

"I still can't get over the fact that you're actually here. In my house, in my kitchen."

"I know what you mean. It's so surreal, but I'm so glad that Em and I decided to move back."

Edward nodded his head. "Me, too."

We sat there in silence when the microwave dinged. "Hey, can you get three big blue bowls out of that cabinet over there? Above the sink?" Edward asked.

I got up and went over to the sink. I opened the cabinet and saw the massive bowls. "These?" I asked as I grabbed them. Edward nodded as he put another package in the microwave. I placed the bowls next to the first bag of popcorn and sat back down in my seat at the island.

"So…are you still doing sports this year?" I asked as I poured the bag of popcorn into one of the bowls.

Edward rolled his eyes as we waited for the microwave to finish. "Yeah. Oh, I forgot to tell you something earlier. The football coach actually came to me right before school ended and begged me to go out for the team this season, but I think that I would rather just focus on baseball, you know? That way I can do really well this season and next season so I can play professionally or something."

I grinned. "Oh, really? You want to play professionally?"

"You sound surprised," he said, raising his eyebrows.

I shrugged. "I mean…"

He cut me off. "I was just thinking that since I've been playing since I was 5, and if I keep on being great at the game, that I may have a chance."

Nodding, I said, "What did your parents say when you told them that you wanted to play ball professionally?"

The microwave dinged before he could answer. He took the bag out, put another one in, and started the timer once more before he answered. "They want me to figure out what I'm going to do if I don't get to play. My dad wants me to follow him in medicine, and my mom said that it doesn't matter, as long as I'm happy," he said as he sat back down at the island and poured the popcorn into the second bowl. "I think that I may choose a pre-med degree, you know, if it doesn't work out. It won't hurt, will it? If not that, then most definitely music."

"Ooh, really? I think I remember you telling me once that you would become a piano teacher or something?" I asked.

"Yeah, I might become a music teacher. I think it would be pretty cool to be able to teach younger kids to appreciate music. That is, if I don't have baseball." He paused for a second. "What about you?"

I just shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I think my mom wants me to become an elementary teacher like her, but I don't think I could handle little kids all day long. I think I would be pulling my hair out by the end of the first day," I smiled.

Edward laughed out loud at my statement before saying, "I think you would be a great teacher, Bells. You should become a college professor or something like that."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Whatever. Anyway, you need to get the popcorn out of the microwave. The others are probably wondering what we're doing."

As if by magic, the microwave dinged and the last bag was ready to be taken out and emptied into the last bowl. We grabbed all three bags and walked back to the den. Our friends had already taken their seats and were happy with the refreshments that we provided.

"Oh, wait!" Alice exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat with Jasper.

"What is it?" Jasper asked.

"Drinks, of course! I'll be right back," she said as she ran upstairs to the kitchen. She was only gone for a minute before she returned with a few cans of Coke and handed them to each of us. "Oh, by the way, you guys. We couldn't find the right DVD, so we're going to watch _P.S. I Love You_, instead," Alice grinned.

Almost immediately, the guys started arguing. "We're not changing it. It's settled. End of discussion," Rosalie said.

With a few more grumblings, especially out of Emmett, we were finally settling in to watch the movie.

* * *

By the end of the movie, I knew I wasn't the only one crying. I glanced over at Rosalie and Alice both and they were practically bawling their eyes out. The guys, however hard they tried to cover it up, still had traces of tears in their eyes.

Jasper clapped his hands as the credits rolled. "So, what now?"

Rosalie answered, saying, "Ugh. I'm super tired. I think I'm going ahead and heading home. Emmett?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he asked, clearly spaced out and about to fall asleep.

"Do you want to walk me back to my house? You look like you're just about to fall over," she giggled.

He nodded his head. "Yeah. OK." He got up and almost fell back down. "Man. Well, see you guys in the morning at school. Bella? Are you coming with me or what?"

Edward spoke up before I could. "I'll take her home, Emmett. Don't worry."

He just nodded his head. "Well, night."

There was a chorus of good-nights as he and Rosalie left. Now there was only Jasper, Alice, me and Edward. "Alice, why don't you guys pick up the blankets and stuff and put them away, OK? Bella and I will get the bowls and cans."

"OK!" Alice said, still perky as ever. "Come on, Jasper!"

Jasper just shook his head in amusement as he followed his little pixie around the living room. Edward turned to me. "Come on, the faster we get this done, the faster you can go to sleep." I yawned in agreement.

We had everything cleaned up and put back as it was supposed to be in a matter of minutes.

"Hey, Edward?" I asked. "Where are your parents?"

"I guess they may have just gone on to bed. Since we just got back from Alaska they're pretty tired."

"Oh, yeah," I mumbled.

"You can come over in the morning to see them. I'm sure they wouldn't mind seeing you. I mean, you and Emmett, along with Rose and Jasper, were practically their other children," he grinned.

I yawned before answering. "We'll see."

"Do you need a ride? To school, I mean, in the morning?"

"I don't know yet. Charlie got Em and I cars, but we haven't driven them yet, so I may take you up on that offer. I'll let you know first thing in the morning when I come over. Is that OK?"

"Sure. Are you ready to go home?"

"Bella!" Alice called to me as Edward and I came into the kitchen, where the back door was located. "You can't go home yet! You need to come upstairs and see my room!"

"Alice. She can see it tomorrow or something. I bet Bella's really tired right now," Edward scolded his twin. She just crossed her arms and puffed up in anger.

Jasper put his arms around Alice and kissed her on her forehead. "Alice."

"Fine. Whatever. Anyway, I'll talk to you in the morning, k?" Alice said, still sounding as if she were annoyed.

Jasper smiled. "OK. Goodnight," he said as he kissed her on the lips this time.

"'Night," Alice beamed. After she closed the door behind her boyfriend, she turned back to Edward and me with a frown on her face.

"Alice…" Edward warned.

"No, it's fine, Edward. I'll go up and see your room, Alice. Really. I don't mind," I added as I saw an exasperated look on Edward's face.

"Yay!" Alice cried. She grabbed my hand and ran for the staircase leading to the second floor. "Edward? Are you coming?"

I heard Edward mumbling behind us, but then I heard footsteps coming up behind us, so I knew that he was following us, despite being against Alice's devious plans of keeping me up too late.

Alice pulled me all the way down the hallway and stopped in front of the last door on the right. The door itself had a plaque hung on it, claiming it as "Alice's Room." I just shook my head as I followed her into her room. I remembered, with a smile, the last time that I stepped foot in her room, six years previous. It was the afternoon before Charlie and Renee told my brother and me that we were moving across the country, away from our friends and loved ones.

**(Flashback)**

"_Edward! Come on! We need to find a good hiding spot so that Alice and Emmett can't find us!" yelled Bella as we ran away from the couch in the living room, which was serving as 'base.'_

"_Oh! I know! Let's go hide under my bed!" Edward half whispered, half yelled._

"_No way! It's so dirty under there. How about in Alice's closet?"_

"_I guess that's OK," Edward said as we ran into Alice's bedroom. You could tell just by looking at the color that dominated the room that it was a little's girl's bedroom. There was pink everywhere. The bed, the sheets and blankets, the rugs scattered everywhere, and even the walls. As we made it into the room, we made a beeline to Alice's enormous closet, but Edward tripped before he got there. I was opening the doors to the closet and suddenly I heard the voices of our captors: Emmett and Alice had found us!_

"_Edward!" I hissed. "Hurry up!"_

_He shook his head. "No! I'm going to hide under the bed, I guess. Hurry up and hide, Bella! Before they get you!" he whispered-yelled at me as he scooted under Alice's princess bed, complete with the four posts with a canopy over the top._

_I hurried as fast as I could into the back of the closet, but not before I shut the door most of the way. I waited with bated breath and closed eyes as I heard Emmett and Alice come into Alice's room._

"_Man, it doesn't look like they came in here, after all," I heard my brother say._

"_No. I'm sure they're in here," said Alice's voice. "I'm sure I heard their voices a minute ago."_

_After a few seconds of grumbling and second guessing, I thought I heard the bedroom door open and close, and I relaxed and sighed in relief. Phew. Suddenly there was a hand on my wrist, and my eyes flew open. I opened my mouth to scream, but another hand covered my mouth._

"_Shh! Bella! It's just me," said a voice, which I presumed to belong to the hands. "I'm going to take my hands off of your mouth, but don't scream. They might hear you."_

"_Edward?" I asked, confused._

"_Yeah. Who else would it be?" he asked, his tone playful._

"_I just couldn't really see you, Eddie. It's dark in here, you know," I smirked._

"_Sure, sure," he said. "They left the room, but they might be back, so I'm going to stay with you, OK?"_

"_That's fine."_

_We settled down on the floor underneath some of Alice's dresses. We must have been sitting there for what seemed like hours before either one of us spoke._

"_Edward?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Do you think that my Mommy and Daddy still love each other?"_

"_Why do you ask?"_

"_Well…they've both been fighting a lot lately, and Daddy said something about someone named Phil."_

"_Who's Phil?" Edward asked, his curiosity now peaked._

_I just shrugged. "I think Mommy said that it was someone she worked with when she had to go to Florida, but I don't think that Daddy believes her. He said something about a kiss, too."_

"_Why would he talk about a kiss? They're gross!"_

"_How do you know that they're gross, Edward? Have you ever kissed someone?"_

"_No way! I would never let anyone kiss me," he said as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Except you, because I like you. You're my best friend, Bells."_

_I was grateful that we were sitting in a dark closet, because Edward would definitely be making fun of me now. I was sure that my face was the color of a bright tomato right now. _Why would he say something like that?_ I wondered. I decided to show him._

"_You know what I think, Edward Cullen?"_

"_What, Isabella Swan?"_

"_I think that you want to be kissed," I said smartly._

"_No way. I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. Stay away from me!" he screeched as I reached over to him and held his face against mine. I pressed my lips against his and stayed like that for a second before he started struggling. He fell backwards, with me on top of him. Suddenly, the door to the closet flew open and Alice and Emmett were standing above us._

"_Bella! What are you doing to my brother?!" Alice screamed in a happy way._

"_Edward! What are you doing to my sister?!" Emmett boomed at the same time, but in a very intimidating way._

"_I'm not doing anything! Bella's the one who attacked me. I'm the victim!" Edward started shouting._

_I just picked myself off of the ground and stood there. I couldn't believe that I had just done that. I had just kissed Edward Cullen. My best friend._

**(End of Flashback)**

**Thank you guys for all of your support on this story. I'm really motivated right now with this story and that's why I'm updating this one and not any of the others, but I will (eventually) get back to my other stories! **_  
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